OT - City Suggestions?

[glendalais]

I've been thinking about moving home to Canada for a little while now (having lived in the US for about a decade), and some planets have aligned recently to make it feasible to possibly follow through. I was hoping if I could pick people's collective minds about where to go.

I'm originally from Montreal, and it seems the logical place to go since I know the city and still have the social networks there that make reintegration all the much easier. However, I have also heard good things about, amongst other places, Halifax, Ottawa/Gatineau and Alberta.

I'm still pursuing my B.A., so a good, solid university nearby would be preferred. Other than that, I'm not all that picky, to be honest.

Anyway, what do you think? Do you like where you are now? If so, what do you like about it? If not, where would you think of moving?

 

[Ted in Halifax]

It's like living on the edge of the planet, but Halifax Nova Scotia is a big enough City to have world class Universities like Dalhousie http://www.dal.ca/ , yet small enough that you don't feel crowded.

http://www.novascotialife.com/

 

[stefanospops]

I would say go where the jobs are. I know you said you are looking to go to university but not sure if that is full time or part-time university and you will be looking for a job as well. If it is just for university then I suggest let the city choose you based on the universities that have the programs you are looking for.

 

[glendalais]

I would say go where the jobs are. I know you said you are looking to go to university but not sure if that is full time or part-time university and you will be looking for a job as well. If it is just for university then I suggest let the city choose you based on the universities that have the programs you are looking for.

That makes perfect sense. I am taking whether or not there are schools nearby offering my major. Unfortunately (or fortunately, all depends), as a double History/French major, I can count on most reputable universities to offer good-quality programs in my areas of study.

 

[Gigi22]

Have you been able to visit Montreal during your 10 years in the US? My impression is that you really need to be proficient in French to be able to work anywhere in Quebec these days. (No flames about that please--it is simply my impression, not a political statement). For getting a job in the federal govt., or really in any public service area, you are looking at virtually the same situation in Ottawa/Hull.

 

[coastgirl]

We moved to Halifax about 3 years ago. We are Atlantic Canadians originally, but have lived in Toronto and Victoria. We are really enjoying Halifax. Manageable city, plenty of resources for its size, nice positive feel to it, and of course tons of post-secondary choices. If you are curious about employment opportunities in the area, I'd suggest checking out careerbeacon.com.

You do know you'll need winter clothes again. After living in Victoria for a decade, it was a little hard to get used to winter again.

Good luck.

 

[glendalais]

Have you been able to visit Montreal during your 10 years in the US? My impression is that you really need to be proficient in French to be able to work anywhere in Quebec these days. (No flames about that please--it is simply my impression, not a political statement). For getting a job in the federal govt., or really in any public service area, you are looking at virtually the same situation in Ottawa/Hull.

I do go back every so often, indeed just spent a few days there this summer. I'm bilingual, so language doesn't pose that much of an issue for me.

You do know you'll need winter clothes again. After living in Victoria for a decade, it was a little hard to get used to winter again.

I was just thinking about that, lol. Though I can say I'm one of the few people looking forward to winter again. Tropical, sunny climates are wonderful, but it can become tedious when it's the same weather forecast day after day, year after year, lol. I'm ready for some variety in my weather .

 

[drag n' fly]

What are your reasons for wanting to come to Alberta Once I know that I can give some suggestions

 

[glendalais]

What are your reasons for wanting to come to Alberta Once I know that I can give some suggestions

A friend of mine lives out in Edmonton. He's quite happy with life there, and always talks about how there are tonnes of opportunities, both for education and work. The economic statistics seem to agree with him.

Truth be told, it's one of those choices I don't know that much about. Within Canada, I've never been west of Ontario (or if you want to be specific, never west of Sudbary, Ont.). Most of what I know about the west is second-hand through friends or TV programmes or whatnot.

 

[drag n' fly]

A friend of mine lives out in Edmonton. He's quite happy with life there, and always talks about how there are tonnes of opportunities, both for education and work. The economic statistics seem to agree with him.

Truth be told, it's one of those choices I don't know that much about. Within Canada, I've never been west of Ontario (or if you want to be specific, never west of Sudbary, Ont.). Most of what I know about the west is second-hand through friends or TV programmes or whatnot.

Their is plenty of opportunities here. A lot of employment is in the energy sector here. The economic stats are correct. We are the most financially stable of all the provinces with no pst. Here is a bit of information for you

http://www.programs.alberta.ca/Living/5964.aspx?Ns=5247&N=770
http://www.travelalberta.com/en-ab/Pages/default.aspx?mrkt=Alberta

 

[bankr63]

I'll cast a vote for Ottawa. Having lived in (order) Toronto, Edmonton, Montreal, London (ON), Stamford (CT), and Ottawa I can say that Ottawa is my favorite. London is #2. Both have great Universities, and green space, but Ottawa has more cultural institutions. Neither suffers from the overload of Toronto or Montreal (guess I'm a small city boy at heart).

But don't take my word for it. Have a quick read through this article from MoneySense magazine:

http://www.moneysense.ca/2010/04/29/canadas-best-places-to-live-2010/

This is a fairly objective rating of Canada's major communities. Of course all the research in the world won't get around the most important thing, how do you like the feel of the town?

Beinvenue au Canada!

M Ross

 

[ccudmore]

About 13 years ago my wife and I decided to move from London and spent a year looking across North America to decide where to set down our roots. We came up with a short list of (in no particular order), Ottawa, Calgary and Raleigh, NC. All 3 cities were big enough to offer lots of arts, culture, sports, etc. but not too big that we'd be overwhelmed.

In the end we chose Ottawa and have not regretted it for a second. We love the bilingualness (if that's a word) of the city and since it's the capital there's a LOT more to do here than there would be in any other city of its size. On top of that there's 3 good universities, tons of outdoor activities, etc.

On the employment front, because the government is more recession-proof than most other industries, the job and housing markets in Ottawa are a lot more stable than most other cities.

I highly recommend Ottawa! The only things I can say that we miss from Southern Ontario are family (still have some family there) and the beaches (oh, the long sandy beaches of the great lakes... sigh)